Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-05-06
MILLIONS FOR PRINTING.
Railway Companies Compelled to Put Lots of
Money Into Jobbing Houses JHst Now.
Chicago Mail

Railway Companies Compelled to Put Lots of
Money Into Jobbing Houses JHst Now.
Chicago Mail
While many pay to travel on railroa ds
who never paid before, the railroad COM
panies are paying great deal of mon ey
to printers which they were not oblig ed
to give up before the interstate COM
merce law went into effect. The law re-
quires every railroad company to issue
and display conspicuously printed cop
les of the freight and passenger tariffs
at every point along their respective
lines. The roads are now engaged in an
attempt to meet this requirement.
Different roads, however, are proceeding
on different plans. One corporation is
getting out tariffs from, one station to
all other stations-local as we'll as inter
state. Another road has had tariff from
local stations to interstate stations. 9th
er roads have had published one large
sheet, embracing all the local stations
as well as interstate points.
Each road believes it has complied With
the law. If there should exist any doubt
in the II inds of patrons or others wheth-
er the law has been duly observed, the
commission over which Judge Cooley
presides will be called upon to construe
the clause Of the enactment relating to
printing. 1t is thought that the very
earliest period when such official con-
struction could be obtained would be six
months. The chances are, therefore, that
some of the roads will do considerable
experimental printing before the edict of
the commission Is promulgated.
'What will the tariff costf" was the
-AzA.- L
propounded to the head of large print
ing establishment to- day.
"They will cost considerable money"
was the reply.
'There are $50 railroads in the country;
could you form an opinion as to the aver
age cost per road?"
'No; because the roads vary so greatly
in length, some running only mile, 9TH
ers hundreds or thousands of miles"
''Should you suppose the printing of
the tariffs required by the Chicago &
Northwestern would cost SS0,000?"
Hardly as much as that, but no figures
can be definitely given as yet"
Another prominent printing concern
said through it's mansger:
From a rough estimate | should say
the average cost per road for the printing
required by the interstate law will be
$25,O00 per road, which gives a grand
total of $24 ,500 600. This estimate is, /
think, under rather than above the actual
figures"
At the railroad offices where inquiry
was made the officials agreed that the
costs of schedules remained for the pres
ent "a conundrum.'
From some stations there are twenty
nr +hirt-. 10 hn
of shipments. The passenger tariff
would require but two sets of figures for
each first and second class rates The
companies, of course do not relish the
idea of paying such enormous printing
bills.
At the freight office OF the Chicago,
Milwaukee d. st. Paul road the official in
charge said:
"Just what this company must pay for
printing new tariffs to meet the REQUIRE
mehts of the inter state commerce law is
as yet matter of speculation. | should
say, however, making rough estimate,
that it would be nearer $4,000 than S2O,-
COO"
Several samples of printing executed
in accordance with the new law were ex-
hibited. The pamphlets are mostly com
posed of costly table work. At the head
of each is the line: "Cancelling All Pre-.
vious Rates" One was a Through
Freight Tariff" on merchandise, salt, ce-
ment, lime, stucco and emigrant's mov-
ables between Chicago, Racine, MiIwau-
kee, or Racine Jun ction, and stations on
| the following divisions: Dubuque, River,
| Wabasha, Chicago and Council Bluffs in
Iowa, Racine Southwestera in Iowa.
| Southern Minnesota, Iowa j. Dakota
Hastings d Dakota. The tariff sets
| forth prominently the fact that the
| figures are subject to "the western cIassi-
| fication," and when the rates and the
! classification conflict the former will gov
| ern." The admonition to agents. which
| appears in bold faced type, is as follows:
| agents are strictly prohibited from ouot-
| ing or using a higher rate for a shorter
| than for a longer distance over the same
| line in the same direction, the shorter
| being entirely included within the longer
| distance" Turning the first page of the
| pamphlet one sees an index to consecu-
| tive numbers of stations, and this
| is followed by a table showing the
| price charged for first, second. third
and fourth class merchandise per 100
| pounds. Then comes the rates for
| special carload cases, eight in number.
Sl&teen large pages are closely filed
with figures, and thousands of rates and
| specifications are given in tabulated
form. The same company has separate
freight tariff between Chicago and sta
| tions in Illinois and Wisconsin on the
| following divisions: Chicago Council
| Bluffs, Mineral Point, Chicago & Mil
vaukee, Lacrosse, Racine Southwestern
and Wisconsin Valley. Then follows acres
of figures giving rates for merchandise.
! special car load classes, and carload
classes. Seperate figures are given on
wheat and floGr, barley, corn, rye and
oats; salt, cement, lime and stucco;
lumber and lath; horses and mules. hogs,
! calves, or cattle, sheep, single deck and
| in ten different classifcations of merchau-
| disc.
Another tariff issued by the same com
| pany presents rates of 2 'ioint through
| freight tariff between Chicago, Milwau-
kee, and st. Paul and points On the
| Union Pacific railway. 1t presents an
intricate array of figures, and includes
| prices of transporting verything from
blue vitriol to pig iron and onions. The
| printing feature of the interstate com
merce law Is one grievous to be borne.
/ u;z Sr